Flood hero, 74, wins 7-yr fight for dignity

Dadubha’s (left) fight has brought hope to other 11 heroes of the city, recognised by the late President of India APJ Abdul Kalam for their valour in the line of duty and awarded the gallantry medal in 2003. The team had rescued 16 people trapped inside a hotel in Shahibaug during 2002 riots

This was a fight for dignity, a fight for what was right. By stopping the allowance that accompanied it, they also took away the respect that the President’s medal bestowed upon me. This dignity is now restored,” said 74-year-old Dadubha Gadhvi, retired chief fire officer (CFO) of Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES), who was awarded the highest honour in fire service, the President’s Fire Service Medal for Gallantry, in 1976.

It was in 2011 that the civic body abruptly ceased to pay the medal allowance, after paying it continuously for 34 years. Gadhvi, who spends his retirement tending to his lush green fields in his hometown of Halvad in Surendranagar, says he was pained at having to enter into alegal battle with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to claim unpaid allowances that accompany the medal. This, especially since his achievement should have been a matter of pride for the civic body, the district, and indeed the state.

In a landmark judgment by the Gujarat High Court recently, the AMC was ordered to pay eightyears-worth of arrears of unpaid allowances accompanying the President’s Fire Service Medal for Gallantry to retired CFO Dadubha Gadhvi, and continue regularly paying the allowance from now on.

Gadhvi, who was in 1976 a fire station officer, was conferred with the medal for three acts of bravery: For rescuing two persons who got buried alive inside a 20-foot well in Paldi area of Ahmedabad in 1971; for rescuing two labourers buried under a pile of bricks in a 45-foot under-construction well in 1973; and for the rescue of 40-50 marooned families during the Sabarmati floods in 1973.

‘I visited AMC for 4yrs for allowances’

The judgment is expected to go a long way in helping other awardees fighting for their allowances. “I visited the AMC time and again for more than four years after they stopped the allowance, hoping that the matter would be sorted out but they made me go to court against my own office. I’m glad the court ruled in my favour but it would have been better if it had not happened like this,” said an emotional Gadhvi.

Apurva Kapadia, Gadhvi’s advocate, told Mirror, “The HC has directed AMC to pay my client the allowance arrears within eight weeks and continue doing so according to the policy. The arrears amount to Rs 18,000 per year, that comes to about Rs 1.44 lakh.”

Gadhvi, in his 2016 petition, stated that AMC had paid the allowance from 1976 to 2010. However, the payments stopped in 2011 without any reason. He had requested the court to direct AMC to pay the arrears along with 18% interest.

However, the court refused interest on the amount, said Kapadia. DyMC Mukesh Gadhvi, who heads the fire department, told Mirror, “I’ve yet to read the HC judgment in the matter but rest assured, we will do as the court has decided and instructed.”

Dadubha’s fight has brought hope to other 11 heroes of the city, recognised by the late President of India APJ Abdul Kalam for their valour in the line of duty and awarded the gallantry medal in 2003. The team had rescued 16 people trapped inside a hotel in Shahibaug during 2002 riots

Hope for riot heroes

This judgment has brought hope to another 11heroes of the city, recognised by the late President of India APJ Abdul Kalam for their valour in the line of duty and awarded the same medal in 2003 for their actions during the 2002 riots in Gujarat. Fifteen years later, they are still waiting for the payment of the allowance that accompanies the honour.

In the middle of the Gujarat riots in 2002, a rescue team of 11fire service bravehearts put their lives on the line to pull out 16 people trapped inside a hotel near Shahibaug underpass. The hotel, which was set afire by rioters, was engulfed in flames as the team from Shahpur fire station rescued them all and dropped all of them home.

The 11 people who received the gallantry medal, a first for the state, included 6 firemen, 3 drivers cum pump operators, 1station fire officer and the chief fire officer. Of these, CFO Bipin Jadeja; all 3 drivers Kirit Patel, Premnarayan Dube and Anwar Malik; and fireman Gulamnabi Boradiya have already retired from service. This has now left 6 of the 11still in service including Divisional Fire Officer (DFO) Jayesh Khadia; and 5 Firemen Vasant More, Ditabhai Rathod, Hitesh Patel, Ramuji Vaghela and Jagdish Ninama.

While in the case of Dadubha Gadhvi, whose allowance was stopped abruptly in 2010, these 11 officers and personnel have not received a single rupee in allowance since 2003. Retired Driver Anwar Malik filed a writ in the Gujarat High Court on October 5, 2017.

Malik, a driver-cum-pump operator who retired in 2016, said, “It is great that Gadhvi sahab has got his due. This judgment definitely makes our claim stronger. As far as the documentation is concerned, the AMC has issued all notifications in the gallantry medal allowances, it is just that they aren’t paying it. We have renewed hope that we will soon get our due too.”

Merit unrecognised

The four employees of the AFES who were conferred with the Fire Services Meritorious Service Medal in 2001and 2004 are also yet to receive the benefits of the ex-gratia one-time increment in grade pay. They are CFO MF Dastoor, Additional CFO Rajesh Bhatt, Deputy CFO PS Parmar and Fireman Jayprakash T Ahari.

(Left) Dadubha’s & Retired driver Anwar Malik, who has been awaiting his dues despite a gallantry medal, filed a writ in the HC

Award & Allowance

Aspecific notification in the case of Dadubha Gadhvi, issued on April 7, 2010, stated the allowance was increased from Rs 750 to Rs 1,500. Earlier, it was revised from Rs 100 to Rs 750 on May 16, 2002, said Advocate Kapadia.

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